Throughout my childhood, I've been spending nearly a quarter of it indulging myself in Filipino overly-melodramatic series and films. Like many other asian dramas, in my opinion, they are cringe-worthy, too dramatic and very cheesy and each and everyone that I've watched so far all have similar storylines, characters and overall theme which, in general, sheds an obvious light to the divisions between rich and poor.

Not only that, but I also want to point out the portrayal of SE asians in Western shows and films as well; I either have never seen them on screen, they are portrayed as cleaners, maids, servants, waiters or something fairly low-skilled or service type jobs or, in a woman's case, they are seen as simply "the housewife of the rich white husband" or a nanny. I also find that they're often represented as lower/working class, living in benefits or in tiny houses with children and little money. From the top of my head, a classic example is a Sean Ellis film Metro Manila in which it's about a family from the rural countryside who move into the city of Metro Manila for a better life. To some extent, his depiction of this brutal city in the Philippines is somewhat true: the difficulty of finding a job, cheap accommodation and the type of work they're forced to do especially for someone from the countryside. However, it is slightly exaggerated. Women do not always get abducted in broad daylight in a busy road, not every family or individual person is homeless and the people are not that cynical.

I love how the movie depicts the realities of living in the Philippines which, as I said to some extent, is true because of the corrupt government. I don't love is how it reinforces the ideology that it is a corrupt and third-world country with lower-class people.

As a south east asian, what irritates me sometimes is how some people see my home country only as a third-world country: it is in fact more than that. My country is extremely popular in terms of tourism because of its natural beauty, the tropical weather and the rich culture and history and the english-speaking filipinos. It is not just a country who produces our nurses, makes our clothes, our food, etc.

Another great example is Bata, Bata... Pa'no ka Ginawa? which depicts the roles of a woman in the Philippines.

As a young individual who's willing to change society and impact the world, I want to change this perception because I'm just tired of being constantly marginalised, unrecognised and feeling invisible to society and the media. To be able to do that from where I'm currently at, I'm going to open your minds a bit with this post to make you all realise and see what's outside the 'sphere of races'.

Of course, I understand that Black Lives Matter is a very important movement into achieving equality between the races, but we also need to consider southeast asians because, like black people, they also face racism, discrimination and prejudice but just not in a way that that would bring immediate attention. That also leads me into another point: I think the reasons for Black Lives Matter becoming so widely recognised now is due to the recent issues on the news relating to police brutality and racial profiling (such examples are here). We shouldn't need to be reminded of this continuous problem through the violence that we see on the news. It's the 21st Century so it should be integrated in our minds already. We should be thinking about it immediately. About how unequal society is.

I know that I've kind of drifted off topic, but it sort of relates to what I'm trying to say on this post. I don't want to keep reminding people that this world is still unequal and as generation Z individuals, we need to take action or at least recognise the problems and raise awareness of it to make the world more equal, peaceful and open-minded.

Thank you for reading this, something that my family and I and people of our community are affected by and something that I feel passionate about.

Proud Filipinas

Sorry for the late post ':D

As some of you probably already know, there was the ever-so recent Victoria's Secret fashion show where perfectly tall, skinny and absolutely stunning models strut the glittering catwalk wearing their ridiculously expensive lingerie with the addition of flashy and dazzling 'angel's wings' and accessories along with heels and the powerful and sexy confidence that I know I'll never have.



Victoria's Secret Fashion shows are amongst the biggest and most talked about events on the media because of iconic models such as Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, the Hadid sisters, etc. as well as the gorgeous lingerie that they wear and the artists who perform live music on the catwalk, artists such as Ariana Grande, Rihanna, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, etc.; this makes the industry (in the United States) be worth over $6.5 billion.

Honestly, I have nothing against VS apart from a couple of things. Yes, it does claim that their products 'empower women' and make them feel 'sexier and more confident' in which I'm perfect fine with, but I don't like how they objectified the models to sell their bras. Some of you are perhaps thinking that that would be inevitable since modelling lingerie requires you to be half-naked, but VS overtly sexualises these women. For example, take a look at the differences between these photos:

This image is from the H&M online shop for the Microfibre string briefs. It goes straight to the point and simply shows the product. There's nothing flashy or 'sexy' about this image because of the way the model poses and her facial expressions.

This image if from VS online shop for the CrissCross Lace Cheekini. Unlike the previous photo, this image is very alluring and from how the model is posing and her facial expressions she looks seductive. The fact that she only has the panties shows us the photograph is very suggestive.

And take a look at this one from Ann Summers (which, like VS, sells sexy lingerie), advertising the Leona Plush Bra. Again, nothing sexy about this image (apart from the product ofc).

Now look at this one from VS which shows the Dream Angels Velvet Bustier. From the model's pose, which is the open legs, and her inviting facial expression it makes this very suggestive.

Do you see my point?

Also, the fact that the company claim that their products will 'empower women' by making them feel sexier and confident encourages self-objectification. Especially since VS is widely talked about on social media, this encouragement will spread amongst younger girls. VS's marketing may convince these girls to treat themselves as objects, to be consumed and seen. (See this interesting article for more about VS's marketing)

Now, I'm not here to perpetually bash the company and make them look bad, I'm just here to open your minds a bit wider towards women's bodies. With the VS Fashion show 2016, it's the perfect timing to talk about bras which is the main topic for this post.

Victoria's Secret is well known for its (expensive) bras, including their most expensive bra line, the 'Fantasy Bras'. Because of its widespread commerciality on media as well as in pop culture, the trendy and sexy bras are extremely popular, with around 70% (in the US) women shopping at VS.

Personally, I've never bought or even tried on a VS bra because they are just too expensive for my likes. I prefer functionality than fashion, because what's the point in wearing a black and magenta bra with extremely detailed lacing when it's going to be covered anyway? Well, in this current generation fashion surpasses function which, like one of my previous points, can encourage self-objectification and make girls obsessed with themselves and the way they look; and with the VS angels, society is pushing expectations of women further up which can turn this obsession into something ugly.

I mean, a bras main function is to support your breasts, it's not something that you could show off which is what VS is exhorting. And if society tells us that bras are 'mandatory', then why make it so expensive?

Lingerie is something intimate, so I think it shouldn't be thrown in the spotlight like it's the most important thing in this planet. Bras are bras, it is not mandatory and we should respect other women's choice of not wearing one. We shouldn't degrade them because it's 'suggestive' or 'sexualised' since the nipples are showing, when VS sells products in a way that is exactly like that.

Thank you for reading this long rant about bras which I've been meaning to let out for a long time! I really hope I somehow opened your mind a bit more to this long-standing issue about our bodies and hope that maybe you'll do something about it to change society's attitude towards women :D

I'd also like to know what some of your thoughts are on this issue, whether what VS markets is "women empowerment" or plain simple "sexism".